JPR show receives historical society's Heritage Award

"As It Was," the Jefferson Public Radio show featuring two-minute historical sketches from the Northern California and Southern Oregon region served by JPR's network of stations, has been named recipient of the Southern Oregon Historical Society's 2012 Heritage Award.

"As It Was," the Jefferson Public Radio show featuring two-minute historical sketches from the Northern California and Southern Oregon region served by JPR's network of stations, has been named recipient of the Southern Oregon Historical Society's 2012 Heritage Award.

The award is given annually to a person or organization that has contributed greatly toward meeting the society's mission "to make history come alive by collecting, preserving, and sharing the stories and artifacts of our common heritage."

Also being honored, as Southern Oregon Historical Society Volunteer of the Year, is Judi Drais, a retired Phoenix-Talent School District teacher and librarian. She is completing her second term as SOHS Foundation president, is a former member of the organization's board of trustees and is one of its most active volunteers at Hanley Farm and other SOHS venues.

The awards will be presented at the annual SOHS membership meeting, scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday, June 2, at Hanley Farm, located between Central Point and Jacksonville. All writers and others involved with "As It Was" are invited to attend, along with SOHS members and volunteers. (Correction: The date of the presentation has been corrected in this story.)

"As It Was" went on the air in September 1992. It was created by Carol Barrett of Medford, who wrote many of the program's first 1,200 or so scripts. The late Hank Henry, a former Medford radio and television newsman, read the stories, and the show was produced by Bob Davy. After a couple years of reruns following Henry's retirement from the show, JPR resurrected it in 2004, airing all new stories written by volunteers. Veteran actress Shirley Patton does the narrating, Raymond Scully the producing and Kernan Turner serves as coordinator and editor. Nearly 2,000 original scripts have been aired in the past eight years.